The Lion, The Witch, But No Wardrobe
by shygryf
Summary: It is not surprising that she should be magical. It is rather like two people exposed to radiation. Even if they do not show outward signs, it does not mean that differences will not translate to the children." Narnia HP crossover
1. Chapter 1

A Lion, A Witch, But No Wardrobe, By ShyGryf

Author notes: A big thank you to my Brit-picker the steppy one and to my beta who happens to be my very own gryf daddy.

Disclaimer: If you recognise it, it isn't mine.

Chapter One: Surprises

Henry Astin checked the note in his pocket, hoping that he had written down the address correctly. The letter sent to the muggle post office box had been very polite in asking for assistance in shopping. He thanked Merlin that 6 Mayfair Square wasn't far from The Leaky Cauldron, because although he could get around on the underground in a pinch, as any good Professor of Muggle Studies should, the train schedules were always changing and it had been a while since he had ridden them.

Knocking on the door, Henry thought, _Nice neighborhood, but not posh by any means_. The town house was brick and stone, well kept up. Not sure what to expect, he thought of his best excuse in case the housekeeper or doorman didn't know about magic.

The door was opened by a stunning woman in a simple but elegant house dress, with short black hair just beginning to turn grey. Not sure who he was addressing he went for a general inquiry. "Excuse me, but I am looking for Mr. or Mrs. Holm, Do I have the right house?" he asked.

"I am Susan Pevensie-Holm, how may I help you?" she replied.

It took him a minute to regain his composure. "I am Professor Henry Astin and I have been sent as an envoy by your daughter's new school."

"I thought you were coming tomorrow on the 15th. Is today the 15th?" she asked absently. "Oh dear, I must have lost track of the day again. Won't you come in Professor? Ari and Em will be home from the shop for tea, and then we can all go." She held the door, took his coat, and led him inside.

Henry was led through a cozy house to what he assumed was a library. It was hard to tell because the main decorative theme for the house seemed to be books. Nearly all the walls were lined from floor to ceiling in books: children's picture books; the latest popular novels; large books with cracked leather covers in languages both familiar and strange. Henry had never seen so many books outside of a library; many libraries would gladly boast of such a collection.

Henry was startled from his reverie by the realization that he should sit. He chose an overlarge red armchair, which sunk in much farther than he expected. Mrs. Pevensie-Holm chose an upholstered chair with ornately carved arms. It seemed a bit throne-like for a library, but oddly it seemed fitting for its occupant.

"Did you say Ari?" Henry asked, "I was told your daughter was named Lucy."

"Her name is Lucy Ariel Pevensie-Holm; she is named after my late sister."

Susan handed Henry an old photograph of two boys and two girls, one of whom was obviously the lady in front of him. The younger boy had dark hair, but the elder boy and the other girl seemed to be more fair haired.

"I am very sorry," he said not knowing quite the correct response. There was a lull in the conversation.

"What is it that you teach at Hogwarts, Professor?" Susan asked, politely changing the subject.

"I teach Muggle studies," he replied, and anticipating the question he saw on her face he continued, "Muggle is the term Wizards use for people who don't know about magic, and can't perform any such as yourself"

Susan smirked. "You assume that I am not familiar with magic."

Henry fought to recover from the shock, "Are you saying that you knew about magic and that your daughter would be a witch before she received her letter?"

Susan arched her brow, "I am not fond of the connotation of the word _witch _but I am not surprised that she would be magical. It is rather like two people exposed to radiation. Even if they do not show outward signs, it does not mean that differences will not translate to the children."

Henry saw laughter in Susan's eyes. He was exasperated that she found the situation funny. "It is a violation of law in the magical world to reveal such a secret!" he declared.

"You confuse _culture_ with _world_ thereby assuming that I learned about magic from your _culture._" was all the reply he got.

Luckily, Henry was prevented from having to form a coherent answer by the front door slamming loudly.

"Mummy!" a clear treble voice rang out, "are you in the library?"

"Yes dear," Susan replied trying to cover her mirth.

"Oh mummy," the voice continued, coming closer, "daddy taught me how to use the register, and he let me put the price tags on the books, and I accidentally knocked over the shelving cart and the books went all…."

The riposte was suddenly ended as a young girl entered the room and froze. She quickly went and tried to hide behind Susan, who remained sitting. Fair hair and her mother's honey coloured eyes poked up above Susan's head.

Susan stood up and motioned for her daughter to come out from behind. "Ari," she said gently, "this is Professor Astin, from your new school. Won't you say hello?"

"Hello Professor Astin," Ari mumbled while looking at her toes. She looked up at her mother and promptly hid again.

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Holm… err Pevensie-Holm" he added after a look from Susan.

"Where is your father, Ari?" Susan queried, and pulled her daughter out so that Ari was standing beside her.

Ari mumbled incoherently.

"I didn't catch that, Lucy." Susan firmly stated using Ari's first name for emphasis.

"He is coming," Ari answered, just loud enough to be heard, "he had to lock up the shop."

"And why isn't Bertie watching the shop?"

Ari, after a long pause and promptly turning even more shades of red than she already had, responded, "When I knocked over the cart, one of the books hit Bertie in the back and made him spill his tea. Daddy sent him home to change."

Henry tried his best not to laugh

"You and your husband own a bookstore?" he asked trying to change the subject.

"A chain of them, in fact" she responded, "There are several 'The Mighty Pen' shops throughout the east coast of America, one in Belfast, and one here in London. This store is Em's baby, so he insists on running it himself. He has two clerks to help, but Ernie had some school shopping to do, and as you heard Bertie has had an accident."

Just then the door opened again, but this time it was closed more politely. A few seconds later a man with white-blond hair and grey eyes entered and went over to Susan. "Hello, darling," he said kissing her cheek, "I suppose you have heard of the mishap?"

Finally noticing Henry he said, "Oh hello, didn't see you there, Emrick Holm, and you are?"

"Henry Astin, Hogwarts School."

"Pleasure to meet you; I thought you were coming on Wednesday."

"I seem to have gotten the dates mixed up dear," Susan interrupted, "Why don't we have Ari get the tea while the three of us become acquainted?"

Henry, Susan and Emrick at first made awkward conversation, but eventually warmed to each other when they found they had similar taste in Greek mythology. Henry found Susan's descriptions of centaurs to be quite vivid, almost as if she had real experience.

"There are centaurs in the forest around Hogwarts, "he remarked, "They are more of the star gazing type though."

"Are there dryads too?" an excited voice came from the doorway.

Henry awkwardly rose to help Ari, but Susan waved him down and let Ari set the tray on the table without assistance.

"No," answered Henry, sinking into his chair once again, "there have been accounts from some wizards and witches, but those are generally regarded as overactive imaginings. There is no record of dryads ever having existed." He tried his best to use a kind tone so as not to frighten her.

Although Ari never spoke unless asked a direct question, she sat calmly next to her father on the couch. Henry tried his level best to engage her in conversation. His attempts were met with one word answers and apathy for the most part until he mentioned the school library. Ari's eyes widened more than Henry thought possible, and quite a bit of her shyness was overcome by her curiosity. She peppered him with questions on magical subjects throughout the rest of tea. Some of her thoughts on beasts were quite right but others were strange, such as the assumption unicorns could talk.

Once the tea things were cleared away, the discussion of the plans for the rest of the day were held. Susan was all for Emrick coming along and leaving the shop closed for the rest of the day. Emrick wanted to go back and work in the shop and see the sights another day.

"Where exactly are we going?" Susan asked.

"We are going to Diagon Alley, which is accessed not far from here through a pub on Charring Cross Road."

Emrick smiled, "That is perfect. Our shop is on Charring Cross Road. We can walk there and I can see if Bertie is back yet."

Grateful for the coincidence, the party gathered their coats.

"Shall we stop by the bank?" Susan asked, "I have some cash, but I really am not sure how much we will need."

"Gringotts, the wizard bank, can take care of it. They are quite used to dealing with muggle money," Henry answered.

The walk was quite pleasant once the sun came out. Emrick ended up walking with Henry and Susan with Ari. Henry led them to the Leaky Cauldron, and was just about to ask how much farther on the shop was when he noticed the names of the stores on either side. There was Ritchie's records to the left, and to the right…

The Mighty Pen Bookstore

6


	2. Chapter 2

A/N once again a big thanks to the gryf daddy my beta, and The Steppy One my fabulus brit-picker who found some stuff the gryf daddy missed because he saw it on paper. This chapter is dedicated to LoonyLady even thogh it will be a while before she reads it, and to kileaiya for not giving up on me. Also a big shout out to dollar diamond ring for being the first reviewer I didn't know.

The Lion, The Witch, But No Wardrobe, By ShyGryf

Chapter 2: Diagon Alley

Ari noticed right away that Professor Astin had stopped. For some reason he was gazing back and forth between the bookshop and that manky looking old pub next door. She was working up the courage to ask him a question when her father asked one of his own.

"Here is the shop, now where exactly is this access point?" Emrick turned to Henry. "Professor?"

Henry shook his head as if clearing it. "There. Through the Leaky Cauldron," he said in a bewildered voice, "the access is there."

Ari, looking to her parents, saw they were nearly as stunned as she was.

"Well that explains more than it doesn't," Susan replied, breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry?" Henry seemed even more confused.

"I am quite sure you don't want to talk about this here," Susan said. "Em, would you unlock the shop so we can go inside and talk?"

Ari tried her best to process all the information, including her mother's comment, as they filed into the shop. Everyone stood inside and waited till the door was closed, then turned to Susan.

"You were saying…?" Henry asked.

"Well, there are always such strange people going in and out of there, most with no fashion sense at all. I thought they were bookish types, and some were Lord of the Rings fans with their cloaks and things. Ari wanted to go in there for dinner one day, but we looked in and it didn't look at all hygienic," Susan said "It also explains why we were led to this location. I have always been drawn to gateways. Not as much as my sister was, but still quite strongly."

Ari could tell by the expression on Henry's face that he was trying to think of a question that would be answered. She smiled inwardly. Her father usually stayed silent when hiding something, but her mum had a way of answering probing questions without telling them anything she wasn't ready to divulge, usually revealing just enough to intrigue.

Henry seemed to have realized this, and was resigned to not getting any more information. The defeat on his face was quite plain as he suggested they go.

Henry entered first, waving a polite hello to the barkeeper. Ari thought the pub looked cleaner than she remembered, but still quite dark. There were loads of differently dressed people, some dressed in cloaks, others who would not be remarked on in the street outside, but most would be remarked upon as odd then quickly forgotten in the mass of London.

Henry led them through the bar into a stone courtyard. "Here we are," he said shuffling through his pockets, and then pulling out what Ari supposed was his wand, "three up, and two across." He poked a brick with his wand and stood back.

It seemed for a moment that nothing happened, but suddenly the brick glowed and then it_ wiggled. _A small hole appeared and slowly grew bigger, until it became an archway.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Henry said as he led them through the archway.

Ari looked at Henry, who seemed to be enjoying being the one to astonish for once. "All right," he said, tucking his wand away, "first stop is Gringotts, and then we can get all your supplies."

Ari wished she could take forever to just look around. There were so many different people and so many different things to see, she had to make a conscious effort to keep her mouth closed and not lag behind.

Henry finally stopped in front of a blindingly white large stone building with bronze doors. "Here we are, try not to stare at the goblins as they tend to find it rude."

_Goblins _Ari thought excitedly, and then she saw one standing by the door in maroon and gold livery. She did her best not to stare, but was failing quite badly. She looked at the doors and saw they had something written on them, but was unable to read the text because they were led quickly to a counter inside.

A surly looking goblin looked up from his paperwork, and asked in a dry voice, "Will you be exchanging cash, or making a withdrawal from a muggle bank?"

Her parents looked a bit surprised that Henry hadn't seen fit to inform them about exchange rates. They whispered to each other and then her father replied, "I wanted to see about opening an account. Do you have any literature about your banking options?"

The goblin seemed annoyed, "Account openings are down the hall, and this is the exchange desk."

Henry appeared to have been taken aback once again. He addressed the people and the goblin when he said, "I'm sorry, most parents just want to exchange enough for a day's shopping, because there is so much paperwork involved in an account. I didn't think to ask."

"That is quite alright," Emrick replied, "Susan, why don't we exchange some money so you can get started and I will see about opening an account."

Susan nodded and discussed exchange rates with the goblin while Henry showed Emrick to the correct desk, and by the time the Professor returned, Susan was smiling and stowing a velvet bag in her purse. The goblin looked vaguely disgruntled, but Ari supposed it was hard to tell with goblins

Their first stop was for clothing, mostly because Emrick did not find it the least bit interesting. Ari wasn't usually fond of it either, but robes were different. They had a mysterious quality that seemed to be missing from ordinary apparel. Ari was glad her mother wanted to steer clear of the secondhand shops, but she could've done without the trip to _Gladrags,_ where her mother took one look at the prices, made a derisive comment about the construction quality and left again. Ari took one look at the abundance of all the remaining options and decided she would rather speak than remain silent.

"Where do you get your robes sir?" she asked Henry.

Susan smiled at her, and Henry overcame his surprise and answered. "Miriam, a lady I went to school with opened a little shop last year."

"That sounds lovely," Susan said, "let's try there."

_Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions _was much bigger on the inside than it looked. It was quite colorful with lifelike dressmaker's models dressed for the different activities. Ari reached out to touch the sleeve of a silk robe. The mannequin flinched and Ari jumped and let out a gasp of surprise.

"33!" said a stern voice behind Ari, "you know better!"

Ari turned and saw that the speaker was a curvy witch who looked to be in her late twenties. When Ari turned back the dummy was hanging its head.

"I'm dreadfully sorry about 33. Most of them stay still during school shopping so as not to frighten the muggleborns, but 33 tends to have an ornery streak," Madam Malkin said to Ari.

"Do they normally move?" Ari asked.

"Oh yes," Madam Malkin said smiling, "would you like to see?"

Ari nodded. Madam Malkin clapped her hands and the mannequins started to do the things their robes were suited for. Ari couldn't take her eyes off the dancing ones as they twirled around her. She was quite sorry when Madam Malkin clapped her hands again and they were still.

"All right dear, please step back here and I'll measure you." Ari consented to be measured as her mother and Madam Malkin discussed clothing styles. Henry brought Emrick back just as Susan decided to get a cloak for herself.

"I haven't worn a cloak for ages," Susan said when Madam Malkin went to get fabric samples, "not since I was 27 the first time."

Emrick laughed. "It was 13 the second time darling, you forgot about that rainy day we had."

"So I did," Susan smiled in recollection.

Eventually Susan decided on a blue cloak for herself, the standard uniforms and gear for Hogwarts, and a set of casual robes for Ari. Their party set out to complete the day's shopping.

"Why don't we go to Frogs and Hags so we can get the trunk to put things in?" Henry said.

"Frogs and Hags?" Emrick asked, puzzled.

"Sorry, that is the common name for _Xenopus and Xantippe_, the general supply store."

Frogs and Hags had things Ari had never seen and she was afraid that her eyes would pop out of her head from the staring. They got the trunk, the telescope, the scales, and a set of crystal phials (which were charmed to be shatterproof if dropped). There were cauldrons there, but Henry recommended they get them from the specialty shop next door which had better-made specimens. Ari was a bit disappointed that they didn't get anything else there, but she knew better than to ask.

The apothecary smelled horrid enough that Ari didn't mind not spending much time inside. The contents were fascinating, and she resolved to one day see them better.

The bookstore, _Flourish and Blotts_ was ten times more amazing than Ari could possibly have imagined. She felt like she could spend a week in there and still been reluctant to leave. Her mother tried to stick to the list at the beginning but her father talked Susan into buying a few background books. Ari knew that her father would buy half the books in the shop if left to his own devices.

Susan looked at the list once they left the bookshop. "All right, we have everything but the wand and the pet. Why on earth would someone want an owl as a pet?" she asked Henry.

"Owls carry our mail. There are school owls, but most families have their own, so the parents can write without waiting for their children to write first."

Ari took the diversion to bat her eyes imploringly at her father. "We will see," he said.

Ari sneezed when they entered the wand shop. It was quite dusty and Ari's eyes watered as she stared at the walls which were lined with thin boxes. When she had wiped her eyes, she saw an older man with salt and pepper hair standing at the back.

"Good afternoon," he said in a soft voice, "Professor Astin, so nice to see you again. I was always particularly happy with how well your wand chose you. 11 inch redwood and unicorn tail hair."

"Thank you sir, I am quite fond of it myself," Henry said. Ari noticed he looked almost as awed as she was.

"And who might you be?" Mister Olivander's piercing gaze fell on Ari.

"Lucy Pevensie-Holm, sir" she choked out, quite mortified.

"Which is your wand arm, Lucy Pevensie-Holm?" he asked

Ari was confused, "I am left handed sir."

"Hold out you left arm please, that's right"

He measured her in every direction and Ari shut her eyes and tried not to laugh because she felt that this place was far too solemn and magical for laughter. She looked up and noticed that the tape measure was now measuring of its own accord and seemed to be trying its best to find all her ticklish spots.

Mister Olivander was oblivious as he rifled through boxes, only turning when she let a giggle escape. "That is quite enough," he said to the tape measure and it suddenly stopped and fell to the floor in the middle of measuring between her fingertips.

"All right, try this one: unicorn tail hair and ebony, give it a wave."

She felt a slight tingle in her fingers, but she had hardly touched it when Mr. Olivander ripped it from her hand, still oblivious and talking to himself.

"Alright. Try this elm and unicorn hair one… no? Let's see about the willow and phoenix feather… How do you feel about dragon heartstring and holly?... Oh dear a tricky one you are!" he shuffled through more boxes.

Susan's voice came from the one spindly chair in the room. "Hmm, my cousin Eustace was turned into a dragon once. Came out quite the better once he was turned back. Professor Kirke called it a "character forging event." She added the last part in a falsely deep voice.

Mister Olivander started at the last bit. He got a thoughtful look on his face and went into the back room. When he came back he reverently brought out a very dusty box so old the cardboard was crumbling into dust.

"Try this one. Apple and phoenix feather, 9 inches," he said solemnly.

Ari took it from him and immediately felt a difference. Whereas the others had a slight tingle in her fingertips this one made her feel slightly dizzy and tingly all over. A white light streamed from the end and a clear note rang in her ears.

Olivander sighed in relief. "My father was right."

"Sir?" Ari asked. She felt as if the wand made her braver than she ever thought possible.

Olivander looked back at her and smiled. "I never thought that wand would find a home. My father who made it said I would know when the right person came along."

He turned to the adults and continued, "My father was very fond of muggle antiques, and he used to scour the muggle papers for estate sales on his days off. One day while looking through an estate sale in London, he spotted a bowtruckle (a wand tree guardian, Henry later explained) on a pile of kindling. He talked to the executer of the estate, a Mr. Diggory Kirke about buying the rest of the tree. Mr. Kirke said that it had blown over in a fierce storm a few weeks earlier and that most of the wood had been used for furniture, and the kindling was all that was left.

"My father bought the remaining wood, but there was only one piece big enough for a wand. He agonized over the core, but phoenix feather was what seemed to fit best. This is the last wand he ever made. He retired soon after, leaving me the business. I tried that wand on every customer for a month until father told me to wait until it was right. May I assume that we are talking about the same Kirke?"

Ari looked at her parents and saw her own wonder mixed with understanding reflected in their eyes, as Susan nodded at Mr. Olivander. She saw yet more confusion in poor Professor Astin's face. _Poor man had no idea what he was in for when he knocked on our door, _she thought.

Susan insisted on paying the seven galleons against Mr. Olivander's objections, and the party left the shop. Ari looked pleadingly at her father again, but this time her mother intercepted the glance.

"Don't you go buttering your father up; _Lucy Ariel, _he and I need to discuss whether you are responsible enough for a pet."

Henry, sensing the tension butted in. "Why don't Miss Pevensie-Holm and I go get an ice cream while you talk it over."

Ari was worried about being in a strange place alone with a man she had only met a few hours ago, but allowed herself to be led to _Florian Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour_. She and Henry sat down at a table after getting two ice creams, mint chocolate peanut butter for her and chocolate pumpkin pie for him. They slurped quietly with no conversation because she knew Henry was trying to think of a way to pump her for information, but were afraid she would tell her mother and get him in trouble.

After the ice cream was done Ari looked around but saw no napkins. Henry seemed pleased with her distress and picked up his wand with his non sticky hand. He muttered something under his breath and suddenly his face and hands were clean! He flicked his wand at her and she was clean too!

"Quite a handy spell, but not an easy one," he said, "It will be a while till you master that one."

As they left, Ari looked around for her parents. They were very sitting close together on a bench. If there was an argument it had ended amicably a while back.

"Let's go to the pet store," Susan said in a wry tone. "No toads!"

The Magical Menagerie was crammed full of types of animals Ari had only heard of in stories, and many she couldn't have imagined. She tried to be practical and look at the owls, but her eye was drawn to a series of shelves with filled cats in cages. Oddly enough the upper shelf was labeled _kneazles, dwarf and regular_.

She tapped Henry on the shoulder while he was petting a tawny owl. "Sir, would you please expand the trunk? I need to get a book out."

Henry smiled and pulled _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ out of his jacket pocket"Looking for this?" he asked.

Ari blushed, "yes thank you."

After she looked up what a kneazel was Ari felt much better. She looked at all the different ones and thought that the dwarf kneazels were quite fetching. She had almost decided on one with blue eyes when she came to the last cage. There was a sign that said "3/4 _kneazle_, _1/2 price_"

She looked at the kitty inside, an orange shorthaired tom with a battered ear and a tail shaped like a shepherds crook. His pretty light green coloured eyes stared back at her and he brushed against the cage bars so she could scratch his ears.

"What's wrong with him?" Ari asked the shop assistant.

The assistant looked at her. "He and his brothers all sold quickly the first time, but he was returned after he kept leading people out of his owner's magical hedge maze, and was overly fond of the fish in their koi pond. Since the dwarf kneazles came out, no one has been interested in getting a cat that isn't going to look like a kitten forever. "

Ari laughed, "May I hold him?" she asked.

"Be careful, he sometimes grips too hard," she was told. The assistant opened the lock and pulled the feline out of the cage. "Here you go, now behave mister."

"What a pretty boy you are," Ari cooed to the cat that was a bit scared and gripped her jumper tightly. She was glad that her mother had insisted on a double knit.

The shopkeeper looked at her in disbelief. Her mother walked over and asked her, "are you sure you don't want an owl?"

"Pet him mummy," Ari said. "His fur is so soft."

Susan stretched out her hand. "It is quite nice. All right, I suppose if he is what you really want."

Ari beamed. "Does he have a name?" she asked the assistant.

"His last owner was a family with a little girl. She named him Heidi," the shopkeeper said with a grin, "I'm sure you could find another name that better suited him."

After they had purchased all the cat accoutrements including a feather-light wrought iron carrier and a self-cleaning sandbox, it was beyond time to call it a day. After a quick stop in _The Mighty Pen, _the party returned to the townhouse and Henry expanded the trunk.

Henry turned to leave and then stopped. "I almost forgot: here is your ticket for the Hogwarts Express, it leaves from Platform 9 ¾, just walk straight through the barrier between platforms nine and ten at Kings Cross Station.

Susan blanched, and Emrick grabbed her hand. "Isn't there any other way than a train?" Emrick said, "My wife lost 6 members of her family in a train crash."

Henry frowned. "I am sorry, there really isn't. I assure you that the Hogwarts Express hasn't had a mishap in all the years it has been running."

"I appreciate all your help Professor, we can't thank you enough," Emrick stated.

"Well someday you can answer all my questions, but I won't be holding my breath," he replied.

"Thank you Professor Astin," Ari said with a nudge from Emrick.

"You are very welcome, Miss Pevensie-Holm, I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts on September first."

Emrick led Susan back to the library while Ari took the trunk upstairs and let her new pet out of his carrier. When Ari came back in, her parents were sitting on the couch, her mother's head on her father's shoulder.

Ari sat in the chair across from the couch, but the kneazle jumped into Susan's lap and started purring. Susan gave a watery smile and scratched him between the ears. "I suppose trains aren't all bad. I did have an adventure while waiting for a school train. Have you thought of a name for him Ari?"

Ari smiled and replied, "I was thinking of calling him Tacegnaro."

"I suppose it's better than Heidi," Emrick sighed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ari enjoyed the remainder of her summer, but was worried about her future. She really loved reading her schoolbooks and wanted to learn more, but she had never spent more than two weeks apart from her parents and was afraid to be apart from them for almost four months. Her mother had a very low opinion of her own alma mater and wasn't fond of boarding school in general. Her father had been taught by private tutors and had taken control of his own schooling after the age of 16, so before she got her letter she had been planning on staying in London and going to school locally, being supplemented as always by the books her parents gave her to read. Hogwarts was an unexpected opportunity, and even though there was no way she would give it up, she couldn't help thinking about how much she would miss her old life. What if she was rubbish at this whole magic thing or became horridly homesick?

Ari felt especially guilty for looking forward to riding the Hogwarts Express. She had never been on a train before, and the idea of a magic train was even better. Her mother was petrified that something would go wrong, and all the facts about trains being safe didn't help. Ari had feared that one day her mother would decide that the train was too dangerous and would insist her daughter not go, but she comforted herself by knowing that her father would never let her mother's fear get in the way. Every day he insisted that Susan should go to the station, and not say her goodbyes at home.

The morning of September first dawned bright and clear. Ari had been so excited that she had packed the night before and was up and dressed long before her father came to wake her. Her mother came to the breakfast table red eyed, but not currently crying. Susan tried to put on a brave face and be cheery and Ari pretended not to notice how often her mother wrung her handkerchief. After breakfast Susan braided Ari's hair into a golden crown around her head, saying it would help keep it out of the way, and that she had learned the trick from _her_ mother and was passing the tradition on to Ari.

The car ride to Kings Cross was subdued; even Tacegnaro was silent. Susan came along but never let go of Emrick's hand. They had no problems finding the platform, and having faith the barrier wasn't solid wasn't an issue. Ari put on a brave face and managed to say her goodbyes without tears. She climbed onto the train and looked for an empty compartment. She was out of luck and decided to suck up her courage and enter a compartment with only one occupant, a girl with red hair.

"Excuse me," Ari said, "May I come sit with you?"

The girl smiled and waved to the seat across. "By all means."

Ari sat and stared at her knees, trying to think of something to say, something that would make this girl want to be friends. The silence loomed until Tacegnaro decided it had gone on long enough. He poked his paw through the cage and batted at a stray thread on Ari's sleeve, and then looked at Ari and tried to meow. It came out as more of a "ma ah ah" sound than a real meow.

Ari smiled and turned to the girl, "Do you mind if I close the door and let my cat out? He doesn't seem to like being cooped up."

The girl shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind."

Ari busied herself with Tacegnaro and then realized how rude she must seem.

"I'm Lucy Pevensie-Holm, by the way, and this is Tacegnaro," Ari said offering her hand. Tacegnaro leapt into the girl's lap. "I'm sorry; he is a cheeky blighter and will suck up to anyone for attention. Push him off if he bothers you too much."

"Molly Prewett," the girl said, shaking Ari's hand, "pleased to meet you Lucy." She turned the cat's face towards her own. "You sir, are quite forward, but you are cute," she said and then scratched him between the ears.

"Please call me Ari, Lucy is my aunt. Ariel is my middle name, so most people call me Ari."

Just then the train's whistle blew. Ari stuck her head out the window and looked for her parents. She found them, waved one last goodbye, and sat down facing the window as the train moved. The motion was different from being in a car or even the time she went on an aeroplane. She watched the scenery flick by for a while and then turned to Molly. Ari noticed Molly was mesmerized too.

"Haven't you ever been on a train before?" Ari asked.

"No, of course not" Molly said, "what about you?"

"Me either, my mum is deathly afraid of them. She lost her entire family in a train accident before I was born; she wasn't keen at all about me going on one."

"Oh!" Molly exclaimed, "That means you're a muggleborn, I've never met one before. My dad is quite insular; we don't go out into the muggle world."

Ari decided not to correct Molly's assumption, just yet. The girls chatted quietly until they were interrupted by two older boys crashing into the compartment. Both had red hair, and looked alike, but one was slightly taller than the other.

"Molly-wolly," the shorter one said, "would you give us our pocket money, the lunch trolley is coming."

Molly glared. "I told you not to call me that! I can't believe mum doesn't even trust you to take care of yourselves. Honestly! I don't know what she thought you did these past three years…"

"She made us get it from cousin Barty, and _honestly_, I would rather have _you_, my darling sister," the tall one interrupted, trying to soothe her. He nudged his brother. "Say you're sorry Gideon," he said.

"I'm sorry," Gideon said sounding a bit bewildered.

Molly was skeptical, "What are you sorry for?"

"Umm…" he said. He looked at his brother. The other boy mouthed something. "Oh! Yeah, I'm sorry I called you Molly Wol…Ow! That name." The "ow" came when the elder boy elbowed Gideon.

Molly tried her best to fight a smile. She handed over two small bags to the tall boy. "Here _Fabian, _this is the money for both of you, perhaps you can pick out Gid's lunch for him."

Gideon scowled, and Fabian laughed. They left the compartment without even noticing Ari's presence.

As soon as the door closed, Ari began to giggle. "Are they always like that?" She asked.

"Nah," Molly said, "sometimes they're worse!"

"Are they twins?" Ari queried.

"Yeah. Gideon is five minutes older, but Fabian is more bossy. Both of them together haven't enough sense to fill a fairy's teacup. I have no idea how they manage to stay on their brooms during Quidditch."

"That's a sport, right?" Ari asked.

"It's _the _sport." Molly answered. "I'll explain it to you another day. It's too hard without visual aids."

"I was never much for sport anyway. My mum did a lot of archery, and my dad did private fencing. They both were decent equestrians. I can stay on a horse, but I'm not very good."

When the trolley came neither girl made any pretense of choosing healthy snacks. They pooled their money and managed a decent selection.

Ari decided right away to steer clear of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. She enjoyed the licorice wands and the pumpkin pasties. The chocolate frogs were more than she was prepared for and had to take the first one from between Tacegnaro's paws and put it back in the wrapper and stomp on it.

Molly handed Ari a card. "You take it, I don't collect them."

Ari stared at the picture of an ancient Chinese man moving around on the card. He winked at her and than left the frame. Ari kept staring at the blank frame.

"He will be back you know, read the card in the meantime." Molly said.

Ari read about Quong Po, who discovered uses for the powdered eggs of Chinese Liondragons. She also learned that Queen Mab wasn't queen of the fairies, and had just started to read about Daisy Doddridge who founded the Leaky Cauldron, when the train began to slow.

A voice echoed through the train. "Attention students. We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minute's time, please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to Hogwarts shortly."

"And don't call me shortly," Ari said trying to get a smile out of an aggravated Molly.

"Oh dear, I should have paid attention to the time," Molly said absently as they pulled on their robes. Tacegnaro was quite disgruntled about being put into his cage again.

Once the train had come to a full stop, the girls braved their way through the crowd onto the platform. They heard a low booming voice ring out above the crowd. "First years this way!" Ari and Molly walked in the direction of a lantern waving in the darkness.

Ari was slightly scared when she saw the speaker. A bulky blond man over two metres tall stood on crutches.

"First years this way! Everybody here? Good. I'm Olav Ogg, the gamekeeper. Had an accident in the forbidden forest, so I can't see you to the castle. You will follow my assistant Rubeus Hagrid. Hagrid?"

If Ari thought Ogg was huge, he was nothing to the man who stepped into the lamplight. He was twice as tall as a normal man and more than three times as wide. His wiry black hair was cropped about 3 centimeters from his head and his face didn't look like it had been shaven recently. He took the lamp from Ogg and led the first years down a slippery path lined with trees. Molly and Ari ended up in the back of the group. The giant spoke for the first time saying, "Yeh'll see Hogwarts in jus' a sec, here we go."

Ari heard students gasp as they came around a bend in a path. When it was her turn she gasped along with the rest. A castle with what looked like a hundred towers and turrets stretched out on the other shore of a big black lake. On this side were about a dozen boats sitting in the shallow water.

"Four to a boat!" Hagrid shouted.

Ari followed Molly into a boat with a boy and girl who looked like they could be related. As soon as all the boats were full, Hagrid climbed into an extra large boat, which seemed to be specially built. With a wave of his hand all the boats started forward across the black water, sparkling in the moonlight.

Eventually the boats went through a curtain of ivy and a long dark tunnel, finally stopping in a large cave that served as an indoor harbor. The sound of children clambering out of boats onto a bed of gravel echoed off the stone walls. The group traveled through a torch lined corridor, onto a large lawn and up a flight of large steps right up to the front doors of Hogwarts. Hagrid knocked on the enormous doors three times.

"Welcome to Hogwarts everyone," he said.

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A/N A big thanksas always to my gryf daddy for the peliminary beta and thesteppyone for brit pick and support beta. As always all non original characters belong to C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling.

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	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I am aware that thus far Ari's journey has closely paralleled Harry's. I have just realized while writing this note how similar their names are. There will be parallels because they attend the same school that has ancient traditions. After this chapter, their paths will diverge much more, although some things will obviously be the same. I am walking the line between the well-rounded OC and the Mary-sue. If you think I have crossed the line, please feel free to tell me in a constructive way. Ari is not me, nor is she a better version of me. Many of her classmates will have mannerisms and personality traits of people I know, but none of them is wholly based on one person.

Chapter 4 All Sorted Out

The doors opened and a witch with black hair pulled into a tight black bun beneath her hat stood just inside the doors. Ari was vaguely reminded of an old picture her aunt Lucy had taken of her grandmother Helen. Her Grandma had been upset about having her picture taken wearing an apron covered with flour. This woman looked less angry but far more stern. Even that giant man Hagrid looked a bit scared.

"Thank you Hagrid. That will be all."

"Yer welcome Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid as he bowed and walked quickly down the hall.

Instead of following him, Professor McGonagall used another door that led to a small room. Ari could hear her own heart pounding in her chest. She jumped and nearly ran into Molly when she saw the occupants. There appeared to be a little man floating cross-legged in the air. Whispering to him was a ghost with silvery blood spattered all over his tunic.

The man nodded to the ghost. "Yes your bloodiness," he said in a subdued voice. He caught sight of the children and zoomed over their heads sulking. The ghost bowed to Professor McGonagall and slid through the wall

The Professor herded the children into the room and shut the door. Ari could hear the murmurs of hundreds of voices nearby. She turned and listened to the professor's words.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, I am Professor McGonagall, the new Deputy Headmistress and Professor of Transfiguration. Very soon, the welcoming feast shall begin, but before then, you will be sorted into your houses."

"Each of the four Hogwarts houses has its own distinguished history, and all have turned out great witches and wizards. No house is better or worse than any other, just different. Your house is like your family here at Hogwarts, you will eat at your house table, sleep in your house dormitory. Free time may be spent in your house common room. Good behavior will earn your house points; misbehave and you will lose them. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the house cup."

"I will be returning in short order to collect you for the sorting ceremony. Please line up in alphabetical order, and I recommend that you smarten yourselves up." Professor McGonagall turned and walked through the other set of doors, and shut them tightly behind her.

The next few minutes flew by. A minor chaos descended as her classmates and she learned each other's names. Ari was not sure which last name she was supposed to use, Pevensie-Holm or Holm. Finally, she remembered that her Hogwarts letter had been addressed to Miss L. Holm. She was disappointed because she was no longer standing next to her new friend. She ended up between Christopher Hamilton and Mafalda Hopkirk. Molly looked disgruntled at her placing between Lucius Malfoy and Corey Ransley.

Not even a minute after the students arranged themselves Professor McGonagall returned. Some of the students at the beginning of the line tried to peer through the door, but Ari was too far back. She tried to think if she had read anything about the sorting ceremony in any of her books, but nothing came to mind. She hoped that it wasn't too painful or publicly humiliating.

"Follow me." Professor McGonagall said as she pushed the door enough so it would stay open.

Ari followed along but gaped at the site around her. Hundreds of students sat at four long tables that ran almost the entire length of the hall. Hundreds of candles floated above the tables and above the candles was what looked like the night sky. It was one thing to read about an enchanted ceiling, and quite another to see it in person.

Ari tore her eyes away from the ceiling to look up at the table in the front of the room. In the center sat a man with a graying auburn beard long enough to tuck into the belt of his robes, Ari assumed this man was the headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore. Ari scanned the table and stopped when she saw Professor Astin. She almost waved, but then realized how many eyes were looking at her and stopped. She tried her best and managed not to cower, but she gripped her robes so tightly her hands cramped.

At last, Ari stood with her year-mates in a line between the staff table and the house tables. Ari had to make a conscious effort to breathe, as she felt suddenly confined. Her clutched left fist brushed against her pocket and she felt her wand through the cloth. The wand didn't give her the same feeling of strength it had in Olivander's but she felt better just thinking of her parents.

Sometime during Ari's musing, Professor McGonagall had pulled out a three-legged stool and a patched and frayed wizard hat. It seemed as though the whole room was staring at the hat. Ari barely had time to wonder why, when a tear in the hat opened like a mouth and the hat began to sing:

_When all the founders built this school,_

_They did the work themselves,_

_They built the walls, and filled the halls_

_With magic that still dwells._

_But when it came to who would learn_

_Upon this hallow ground;_

_The founders had their own ideas, _

_And sorrow did abound;_

_Till they declared, "A house for each!"_

_The favorites of the four,_

_Would dwell with those who were the same,_

_The ones they did adore._

_For Helga Hufflepuff did think,_

_That hard work was the best,_

_And searched for loyalty, she did,_

_To place in badgers nest._

_For Godric Gryffindor, the brave_

_Were destined for his house,_

_Impetuous, and confident,_

_The lion not the mouse._

_For Salazar, good Slytherins,_

_Must be ambitious,sure,_

_With cunning, craft,be circumspect,_

_Have bloodlines that are pure._

_Last but not least, comes Ravenclaw,_

_With knowledge as a prize;_

_Rowena loved all those who search,_

_For truth behind all guise._

_The four then knew that in their death,_

_There was a way to be,_

_Immortal and to piece the herd;_

_They put some brains in me!_

_Sit on the stool, put on this hat,_

_I'll look inside your head._

_The founders cannot sort you now,_

_That's why I'm here instead!_

The sound of everyone applauding bounced off the walls and became deafening. Ari's anxiety returned, even more so when she realized that the hat could know all her own secrets and all the secrets she knew. She did her best to stuff her feelings down, and listen to Professor McGonagall.

"When I call your name sit on the stool and put the hat on to be sorted. Bones, Edgar."

Edgar, a boy with blond hair walked calmly to the stool and put the hat on his head. In less than a minute, the hat shouted to the room, "Ravenclaw!" as one of the middle tables bust into applause.

"Black, Andromeda."

This time a dark haired girl donned the hat. The hat took a bit longer before shouting, "Slytherin!"

Ari noticed that the girl looked much less happy and the applause seemed more subdued coming from the table at the far end of the room.

Bram Calder was sorted into Ravenclaw and took the seat next to Edgar. Brock Derwin became the first sorted into Hufflepuff and Linwood Fawcett became the first new Gryffindor. Ari saw Molly's brothers waving their arms and cheering.

The line on front of Ari grew shorter and shorter. Finlay, Gresham, Hamilton, until finally…

"Holm, Lucy."

Ari knew that all eyes were upon her. Mafalda was nice enough to give her a nudge and Ari walked as calmly as she could manage to the stool. The distance seemed to stretch forever. Finally, she climbed on the stool and placed the hat upon her head.

The hat answered before she fully formed her plea. "I promise not to reveal any secrets." It spoke to Ari, but she never could decide if the voice was in her head or through her ears.

"Let's see… very hard working, quite an amazing mind, not really all that ambitious… oh my! Now I understand what all the secrecy is all about. You're one of _His_, which means there is only one house for you…

Ari interrupted, forming her thoughts quickly. _Please sir, _she thought, _I am not brave enough; a true Gryffindor shouldn't be this scared. And besides, I have never met, _Him, _and am not nearly worthy. _

"Your fear is there to make sure you evaluate what you truly want. If you search deep enough, you will find your strength. Remember that your namesake was valued for her faith. Have faith in yourself and faithin_ me_. In these thousand years, I haven't yet been wrong. You are worthy of your name and a true GRYFFINDOR!"

Ari took the hat off her head and set it down after leaping off the stool. It was odd to know that the applause was all for her. Ari headed towards the table as quickly as she could, and found the nearest empty seat with a quick hello to her new housemates.

The rest of the sorting ceremony seemed to fly by. Ari cheered along with the rest as new members joined the table. Ari sighed in relief when Molly sat next to her. Eventually the applause died down after David Weston was sorted into Slytherin, and the headmaster rose to address the students.

"Welcome to all of you, students new and returning. I have a few words to say for the opening feast, and those are; supper is served!

Ari turned to Molly to ask where the food was when she saw that it was suddenly _there. _Up and down the table, all the golden plates were full to bursting with different kinds of food. Ari had never seen so much food in her entire life. She took some roast pork and boiled potatoes, adding peas to her plate because of the voice in her head that sounded a rather lot like her mother. Molly poured Ari a glass of what Ari thought was coloured orange juice, but turned out to be pumpkin.

At first, everyone was eating instead of talking, but eventually some people had started to slow down, and began to talk. Ari listened for the most part, trying to learn all she could about everyone around her.

She learned that Doyle Thomas, a black boy very tall for his age, born in Ireland but grew up in west ham and was very fond of football. He had a muggle father, and his mother was a witch. Aimery and Aumery Lander were fraternal twin girls with short brown hair. Their mother was a muggle and their father was a squib, which apparently meant his parents were magical, but he was not. When questioned about her own history, Ari didn't lie, but withheld any sensitive information and focused on her upbringing in London and her trips with her parents. A third year boy at the end of the table near the Prewett twins wanted to ask lots of questions about aeroplanes, but Gideon shoved a roll in the boy's mouth.

After everyone had eaten as much supper as he or she wanted, the plates cleared and the pudding appeared. Ari wished she hadn't eaten so much before now, because all of her favorite desserts were now on the table. She managed a small slice of chocolate meringue and a few blocks of blue jelly, but couldn't eat anything more.

Once the desserts were cleared away, Professor Dumbledore rose to address the school. Ari had no idea a room that full could become so quiet.

"Now that you all have eaten your fill and more," he began, pausing for the giggles that came, and then continuing, "There are a few start of term notices. Mister Pringle, our caretaker would like me to remind you that there is no magic allowed in the corridors. In addition, all our students would do well to remember that the forbidden forest is just that. Forbidden. Quidditch trials will be held on either Saturday or Sunday and any interested student should see Mister Fleta. That seems to be all the announcements for the night. I would have liked to sing the school song, but it seems that the school governors have signed a ban on it, so I shall wish you all a good night's sleep and a wonderful year. Off to bed with all of you!"

There were many sighs of relief from all five tables, mixed in with the sounds of people filing out of the room. Ari heard a few voices through the buzz of conversation and one of them said, "First year Gryffindors this way!"

Ari followed Molly to find the speaker, a handsome boy with radiant brown skin. He seemed to be counting heads, and flashed a perfect white smile once he saw Ari and Molly.

"Alright, I am Pradeep Patil, the fifth year prefect for Gryffindor. This way, all of you. Keep close and try not to get lost."

He led them along a confusing route past several tapestries, even through a few of them. After going up numerous staircases, Ari found she wasn't the only one out of breath by the time they finally stopped in front of a picture of a rotund woman in a gaudy pink dress.

"Password?" the lady said in a melodic alto.

"Semper Fortis," the Patil boy answered, and the portrait swung forward to reveal an archway and a staircase. The children arrived in a warm room decorated in red and gold.

"Here is the common room, the girls dorms are up that staircase and the boy's are up _that_ staircase," he said, directing them. "I recommend you all turn in now, you have five days of classes before the weekend. Welcome to Gryffindor."

Ari followed Aumery up the stairs and went through a door about halfway up marked "first years". Tacegnaro sat atop her trunk, which was set at the end of a four-poster bed with red curtains. The curtains tied at the headboard, but looked as if they would go all the way around for privacy.

Tacegnaro made a very indignant sound when Ari moved him onto her bed so she could get out her toothbrush. She warned him that if he lay on her pillow he would just be moved again.

Ari had expected the bathroom to be as ornate and ancient as the rest of the castle, but it ended up being very modern and quite plain. White walls and pale yellow tile floors, two sinks, two toilet stalls, two shower stalls and a small room with a bathtub that wasn't even claw footed.

Tacegnaro was on her pillow when Ari returned in her pajamas. She pushed him off the bed and responded to his glare with one of her own, saying, "if you didn't sleep in inconvenient places I wouldn't have to move you, you stupid git." He stalked away and plopped down in the window seat with a haughty look as Ari climbed into bed.

Ari closed her eyes and imagined all the things she would one day be able to do as a witch. Slowly her imaginings turned into true dreams of herself grown up and doing amazing things. Suddenly the dream changed and became much more concrete.

She was following Tacegnaro down the stone corridors of Hogwarts and when they went down the front steps, Tacegnaro suddenly turned into a lion. Ari followed the lion across the front lawn and when they entered the edge of the forest, the lion turned into a man with skin a slightly darker brown than Pradeep Patil did. Ari couldn't see his face, but followed him, knowing that it was what she was supposed to do. He led her for what seemed like forever until they reached a clearing.

Standing in the middle of the clearing, bathed in moonlight, stood a woman that Ari thought more beautiful than her own mother. The woman had the rice pale face of a Japanese geisha, her intricately designed hair almost like branches of a tree with pink blossoms interspersed. Her kimono was pale pink at the neck and deep pink on the billowy sleeves, which were so long they obscured the woman's hands. The bodice and skirt gradually blended from pink to brown and then black until Ari couldn't even tell where the kimono ended and the ground began.

"Help me!" The woman said, her soft voice still managing to convey urgency. "You must help us all!"

Ari tried to ask the woman how she was supposed to help but found her voice wouldn't work. When Ari turned to the man to ask what she was supposed to do, he looked at her and she became lost in the great depths of his dark eyes. She could see into her own soul and deeply into the magic that hummed throughout this forest. All of the sudden she was jolted out of her vision and found she was once again in the four-poster. Her dream was becoming increasingly unclear, the details becoming less clear the more she tried to hold onto them.

Finally giving up, Ari picked up Tacegnaro from his place on her knees and shifted onto her side, nestling him in the crook of her arm, almost like a slightly wiggly teddy bear. She drifted off back to her normal dreams, hoping to find herself back in the not so normal one.

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A/N Thank you everyone for sticking with me. Thank you to kehlencrow, Marisa1, Kiseki no Tenshi, mae-E, Devil Red, Serenova, and risiepookie for their reviews. I don't know what I would do without my knights in shinning armor thesteppyone and kerosinkanister for theor last minute betas. This Chapter is for **kileaiya**, on her Twenty First birthday. Miss you Jojo.

Chapter 5 Professors and Portraits

Ari was awakened the next morning by two voices arguing. She only had a vague impression of her dreams growing and it was fainter by the minute.

"The rose scented soap is mine!" said one voice.

"No, yours is the strawberry," the other voice said. "See? The rose has ACA in the top."

"I can see where you scratched out the middle line, you arse!"

"I did not!"

"Did so!"

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

Finally, a third voice Ari recognized as Molly's stopped the argument. "Oh for heaven's sake! _Dividas_. Now write your parents to send you some extra soap, and go to breakfast!"

Ari heard the two voices huff in unison and the door slam.

Now that she was safe from any crossfire, Ari pulled her curtains aside. "Bless you, Molly, I had no idea how to stop them."

"Oh, that won't stop them," Molly replied with a resigned smirk. "I doubt it will even slow them down. They will just find something else to argue over. But I did accomplish the main objective, and that was getting them to leave."

"Where did you learn that spell?" Ari asked. "I wish I could have seen it work."

"I always wanted to try it. My mum uses it all the time at home. I've been itching to use my wand since I got it last week, but it's been locked in a box in the safe at home with my brothers' wands. Shall I wait for you?"

"You go ahead to breakfast, I'll be down in a bit. Save me a spot? My watch alarm doesn't seem to be working," Ari said, taking the watch off her nightstand and shaking it. "Actually, it seems the stupid thing has stopped altogether."

Molly laughed. "It's a Muggle watch, silly. There's too much magic in the air for it to work," she said before leaving.

After a quick wash, Ari dressed quickly and followed the general direction of traffic heading to breakfast. It was a good thing Molly was saving her a spot as the tables were packed. She managed to pile eggs on her plate and grab the last piece of toast just before Molly handed her their schedule.

"Better hurry, you already missed the morning post and we have to go back upstairs and get our things for Herbology. I wish they would've given these to us last night."

Ari was doing her level best to finish her eggs, figuring she could always eat the toast in the hall. She was about half way through when suddenly a freckled arm reached over her shoulder, took some bacon from the platter, and on the way back stole her toast. She turned and saw that the arm belonged to Fabian Prewett; he winked and sat down next to her, pushing his sister aside.

"Ah, the first year shovel," he said with false nostalgia. "I miss the pure fear of being late that comes with innocence."

Molly stood from the table and took the toast back. "You should probably be more worried. I'm willing to bet that McGonagall won't buy that you got lost." She handed the toast back to Ari. "Let's go, you don't want to be here when Gideon shows up. The sight of him eating breakfast will make your stomach turn."

Ari followed meekly, munching her toast and wishing she could think up a smart remark The trip from the hall to Gryffindor tower seemed to take twice as long as her trip down this morning. Ari was sure there had been a door along that wall last night, but there didn't seem to be one now.

"Molly, are we lost?" She asked.

"Entirely. It's as if the castle knows we're running late." Molly replied.

"I wish there was someone to ask for directions," Ari mused.

"But there is!" Ari jumped because the reply came not from Molly but from a decidedly male voice behind her. She turned and saw a handsome boy with reddish-blond hair who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen in a Hogwarts uniform. This would have been unremarkable except that he was standing _inside a painting_.

Molly seemed nonplussed. "Would you help us...? I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

"Henry, and follow me."

It was odd following a person who occasionally slipped from view for extended periods of time and occasionally gave directions like "poke the big toe of the third ogre from the left," but in no time at all they had reached the dormitory. Henry waited in a landscape in the common room; he had said something about a barrier, but Ari's head hurt already and she wasn't really listening.

The trip downstairs was decidedly more straightforward and, after politely thanking Henry for his help, Ari and Molly hurried to catch up to the line of students making their way onto the grounds.

Herbology, as it turned out, wasn't much different from the ordinary gardening that Ari did with her Father. They spent the morning mixing soil and Fertilizer into clay pots while their teacher, Professor Sprout, talked about the different plants they would study over the school year. By the end of the class, they had planted some of the ordinary herbs that were to be used in the potions supplies. Ari was only slightly disappointed that her first class wasn't very magical, but she was sure the next would be better.

Actually, Charms was worse. The most exiting thing was that their teacher seemed to have some dwarf blood in him. Learning wand movements using quills made her feel like she was training to conduct an orchestra.

"Its not that I'm not amazed at this place or that I'm not learning anything, I'm just waiting for the actual magic to begin," she said, while commiserating with Molly over lunch.

"I'm sure if my mother were here she would have something to say about mastery of the basics, attempting advanced magic too soon, or something equally unhelpful. I am ready to do real magic too. If Transfiguration turns out to be this bad I may have to scream."

"You'll spend the whole period trying to turn a match into a needle. McGonagall always does the same thing." Ari craned her head to see who had spoken but no one else seemed to be listening.

"I guess that's better than nothing," Ari replied to the table at large, as she still wasn't sure who had spoken.

Transfiguration was indeed two hours of staring at a matchstick until her eyes were sore. Ari managed to make hers a flat grey with a dull point, but it splintered when bent it. Christopher Hamilton was the only one in their class to get it perfect and everyone else got two chapters reading on metallurgical transfiguration.

Ari was determined and spent most of dinner with a box of matches. When pudding came out Molly took away the box, now full of sharp sticks and lead matches, and handed Ari a quill, parchment, and an ink bottle.

"You told me to remind you about writing your parents. Have to get to the owlery right after dinner so you can get back in time to do homework."

Ari sighed. She knew Molly was right and made sure not to get any green jelly on the parchment.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_The train ride was fine Tacegnaro behaved reasonably. I made a new friend, her name is Molly and her family is all magical. She promises to explain that sport they talk about in The Leaky Cauldron._

_The school is actually a castle bigger than the one you showed me paintings of. Classes began today and I am learning a lot. Could you possibly send me the watch Great Aunt Alberta gave me for my birthday? Apparently, electricity doesn't work here. Its all candles and torches. You would both be right at home._

_I haven't seen any special animals, but I bet dad would love to see some of the plants here. Someday we will get to tend them, but it's mostly herbs for now._

_I miss you both and am sorry I can't write more, but its time for homework then bed._

_Your favorite daughter,_

_Ari_

She knew the letter sounded cryptic, but Ari worried about someone reading over her shoulder or the owl dropping the letter. Henry assured her that the owls were reliable as he gave her directions for the rest of the way to the owlery. There weren't any paintings nearby for some reason and she couldn't induce him to explain.

Ari shivered when she opened the door. None of the large windows had glass and there weren't enough owls to provide heat. She found a large barn owl that hadn't gone hunting, tied the message to his leg, and watched him fly off into the night.

"I don't know where I would be without you, Henry," she said once they were back in the common room. She felt like she knew him from somewhere, but where was it?

"Probably somewhere in the dungeons. It is my pleasure. Goodnight, Lucy Holm."

She kissed his canvas cheek before ascending the stairs to her room. "Goodnight Henry, and call me Ari."


End file.
